Sony have produced the first TV set in the UK market with a Freeview HD tuner built in, and with BBC and ITV HD channels becoming available on Freeview, with others to follow in the coming months it’s a very timely release.

It’s a 37″ model, full HD 1080, Wi-Fi Ready LCD TV with Motionflow 100Hz – this is Sony’s technology for reducing blur on fast-moving images like sports TV and action movies which gives a smoother picture than a conventional 50Hz TV. Other features include online services which let you connect to Sony’s internet TV for things like news and weather widgets and a range of power saving options that make it (like the rest of the Bravia range) a very eco-friendly model.

At around £800 this is bound to be a very popular model for those wanting to get hooked up to HD on a minimal budget.

1. Get Freeview

The first money-saving option to consider for digital TV has to be Freeview – the clue is in the name! It really depends on which channels are important to you and whether you want a landline and broadband in a bundle, but if you’re currently paying a monthly fee for Sky, Virgin or BT TV and you only ever watch the main channels (BBC, ITV, 4 and Five) then you may as well invest in a Freeview box – it may even be built into your TV or recorder. If, however, you need a landline (you possibly do) and broadband (you probably do) then a bundle may make it worthwhile as it could cost the same for the whole lot as it would just for the broadband and phone. Think about the on-demand services though, you might miss those…

2. Look for Special Offers

It may sound obvious but if you’ve decided to take out a subscription with one of the digital TV providers make sure you time it to take advantage of any limited period offers they have. For example at the time of writing Sky TV are giving away £50 of M&S vouchers when you sign up online. Virgin Media recently gave new customers a £50 credit into their account for the same reason, and BT Vision are currently giving a discount for the first 3 months on the monthly fees for their Viewing Packs – every little helps!

3. Use Voucher Codes

Whenever you need to upgrade your TV or buy a Freeview box, hard disc recorder or any other electronic gear don’t forget there’s a wealth of voucher codes out there to save you money. If you’ve never used a voucher code (sometimes called discount or promotional codes) they are the web equivalent of cutting out a coupon and getting money off in a shop, except the discounts on a large item like a TV can be a lot more worthwhile than 10p off a tin of beans…

4. Get a Bundle for TV, Broadband and Phone

If you know you want TV, broadband and a landline phone then make sure you get all 3 in a bundle with the same company. Don’t be tempted to think “Oh, I’ve been with BT for years and I don’t want the hassle of changing my phone line” – if you’re going to do all 3 with BT that’s fine, just be aware that if your services are spread over more than one provider the chances are you’re paying too much.

5. Get ESPN from BT for No Monthly Fee

Sports fans – if you’re just choosing who to go with for your TV then consider BT Vision. If you take out one of their Single Packs or Value Packs (which you would if you were getting BT Vision) you get the sports channel ESPN for no monthly fee, just a one-off £9.99 card fee. Now we think that’s what you call a……..

Regulator Ofcom announced on 3rd April that four HD channels are being made available for Freeview. One of them is reserved for the BBC, while the other three will be put out to tender for offers from the other TV companies (such as Channel 4, ITV, Channel 5 and S4C), and the first three should be live by 2009, when switchover is due to take place in Granada and other regions. The only problem is viewers who want to watch HD on Freeview will need a new set-top box incorporating the superior MPEG-4 rather than MPEG-2 compression technology (MPEG-4 is twice as efficient as the MPEG-2 standard) and these are not available to buy in the  shops just yet.